Dutch Gambling Regulator Renews Lotto B.V. Five-Year Monopoly Licences

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) has re-awarded Lotto B.V. three monopoly licences for a period of five years, the regulator announced on 11 سبتمبر 2026. The licences allow Lotto B.V. to offer lotto games, instant lotteries (scratch cards) and land-based sports betting for the coming five years. The operator’s current licences run until 31 ديسمبر 2026.

Lotto B.V. already operates these games under the current grants. The renewal allows the operator to continue that offering for a further five-year period.

The Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling regulator commonly shortened to Ksa, issued the renewal at a moment when the monopoly system itself is under legal challenge. An appeal over the lawfulness of continuing that system for these games of chance is pending before the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State, the regulator said.

Decision Precedes Council of State Ruling

The Ksa said it would have preferred to await the Council of State’s ruling before granting new monopoly licences. The approaching expiry of the current licences, however, made it necessary to take a decision now, the regulator said.

Two considerations drove that timing, according to the authority. An uninterrupted legal offering of lotto games, instant lotteries and land-based sports betting must be guaranteed after 31 ديسمبر 2026. Lotto B.V. must also receive timely clarity on whether it can continue its games offering after that date. For those reasons, the Ksa said, it chose to grant the new licences ahead of the court’s decision.

New Conditions and Ownership Oversight

New conditions have been attached to all three licences, the Ksa said. They are aimed at the protection of players and at preventing participation by minors.

The licences also include a notification obligation covering Lotto B.V.’s corporate structure. Under that duty, the operator must report intended changes to its ownership and control structure to the regulator.

The grants were made through a private award rather than a transparent award procedure. The Ksa cited Lotto B.V.’s special position as a state participation, and the control the state holds over the operator, as the basis for granting the licences privately.

Should Lotto B.V. be privatized during the licence period, the regulator said it will assess whether that change has consequences for the licences. The Ksa would then determine whether they can be continued in the new situation or may have to be withdrawn.

Possible Outcomes of the Appeal

In its decision, the Ksa also set out what the pending appeal could mean for the new licences. If the Council of State rules that the monopoly system must be opened up from now on, the licences granted to Lotto B.V. can remain in force, the regulator said. In that situation, other parties would also be able to apply for a licence for these games.

If the Council of State instead rules that private awarding is no longer permitted, that could mean the granted licences are withdrawn, the regulator said.

The 2021 Lotto Monopoly Ruling

The Council of State has ruled on the lotto monopoly before. On 10 مارس 2021, its Administrative Jurisdiction Division answered the question of whether the Ksa may maintain a monopoly when granting the licence for organizing lottos, and held that the regulator may do so. In the same set of rulings, the division decided that the Ksa had been permitted to change the names of the lotto licence and the state lottery licence to Lotto B.V. and Staatsloterij B.V. in 2016. The Council of State published a press release and three rulings at the time.

The Council of State has not yet ruled in the pending case. Given the preparation time the Ksa would need for a transparent award, the regulator said a withdrawal following a ruling against private awarding would take place no earlier than one year after the decision.